Dangerous Udon
by BishieKeith
Summary: Sometimes having hero-like instincts aren't all they're cracked up to be. Kenshin/Kaoru and a dangerous bowl of Udon.


A comedy in one act, with noodles.  
Setting: Before Kenshin and Kaoru's marriage, during their /forever/ courtship.  
  
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Fall trickled leaves into the yard of the Kamiya dojo, swirling colors along the bare earth. Each little leaf seemed to have a purpose, to Kaoru, and that was to infiltrate the cleanliness of her porch. They crept up stealthily during the night, wind tossed onto the worn steps. Shimmering their little dried pieces towards the sliding doors, attempting to get in every time one of the doors opened, sucking them in. Then they began their notorious scheme with the aid of two moochers, who thoughtlessly tread over them and spread them about the living quarters.  
  
Their human aids, Sano and Yahiko had today been tossed out of the dojo to defend for themselves as she attempted to sweep and clean her home. Kaoru had fumed something awful, so the pair was more then happy to retreat to town where they could get away with their messy habits. Sweeping furiously, her straw broom hissing along the floor as she stomped about the place, ignoring the wide-eyed looks from Kenshin. Who, in fact - was busy in the kitchen, the safest place for the moment.   
  
"Nnnnn! It never ends! Every time I lift a mat, there are more!" Kaoru wailed, finding fragments of leaves beneath a piece of furniture in the living quarters beside the kitchen. Kenshin responded with a helpful, "Well, winter will be here soon!" while in his kitchen confinement, the delightful scent of dinner drifting through the sharp chilly air.  
  
"You get back to cooking!" an ill mood, the fact that Yahiko .. who fully knew his cleaning status around here had so thick-headedly ignored the crackling under his feet as he did (what was to her) 'the happy leaf spreading dance' all over the dojo. How rude of him! And the fact he just.. gave her a puzzled look when she accused him threw her further over the edge.  
  
Kenshin stammered, his voice almost lost in the sizzling of one item of food. "Y..yes Kaoru-dono!"   
  
She felt bad, briefly, but Kenshin didn't even seem to notice the leaves either. Well, at least he took time to step over them. Megumi had come to visit recently, and all but smirked the entire time as she was led through the house, viewing the messy sprawl of autumn. "Nice place you're keeping here!" she had said, fluttering her fingers over her mouth, and then one of those deep-throated giggles followed. Kaoru was still seething.  
  
Being the last link to the Kamiya Kasshin Ryu, and the provider for the men of the house, it was hard sometimes to pick up the jobs of a woman. And with Yahiko and Sano having high-tailed it from her temper, she was sweeping up the slack. A sigh escaped her lips, followed by a shiver as the autumn cold crept around her ankles. Kaoru was still in her practice uniform, having not had time to change before dinner, being so vehement on dusting and sweeping every part of the house and dojo. She plucked lazily at left set of strings on her hakama, curling the extra fabric around her fingers before she grabbed up her broom again and sent the last pile of leaves and dust out the door with a swipe.   
  
"There!" She announced, proud at her latest accomplishment. The wind immediately attempted to retaliate; sending a gust through the yard as it picked up the leaves, throwing them about the air. "Oh no you don't!" was the exclamation, as Kaoru scrambled backwards, hastily shutting the screen door to keep what she just swept out from charging back in.  
  
Panting, there was no noticing Kenshin until he was upon her. "Ah, Kaoru-dono, dinner is ready .. where is Yahiko and Sanosuke?" he inquired, not noticing how Kaoru's cheeks flushed furiously. 'Did he /hear/ me yelling at the wind?'   
  
The sweeping lady of the house blinked, forced the blood from her face with thoughts of food and turned. "They won't be joining us, they both went into town - I imagine they'll get something there." She noted with a bit of amusement the warmth over Kenshin's face, and the light sheen of sweat at his brow and neck. It must be awful warm in that kitchen.  
  
Kenshin blinked, winding the string that he used to tie his sleeves back in his hand, wrapping it about his fingers. "Oh. Well, I .." the rurouni fumbled a moment before smiling a bit, shrugging his shoulders as he slid the string away from his fingers. "It's on the table, I guess we can start then." He dropped the string into the sleeves of his gi, "It looks nice in here, Kaoru-dono."  
  
Another one of those blushes began to tease high on her cheeks, but she edged past him and towards the room that the meal was to take place in. "Ah, well .." she was never good at receiving compliments, she surely liked to have them .. but her responses were never planned out. "Of course it is! It ought to be, it'd be probably nicer had it been kept up the entire time."  
  
He followed her through the home, wiping his face a bit on his sleeves to make himself at least a little more presentable at dinner. A little too embarrassed to speak, he did do the laundry .. but it wouldn't have been hard to pick up a broom or dusting cloth from time to time. Kenshin sat down across the table from her, legs tucked beneath him.  
  
Kaoru had settled down as well, gazing wide eyed at the food Kenshin had prepared. "It looks like you were working as hard as I was!" She murmured, tucking both of the bangs that draped along her cheeks behind her ears to keep them out of the way.   
  
Kenshin had made yaki-udon and karei shioyaki with hot green tea to drink. The udon still steaming after being fried, looking dreadfully hot. Kaoru picked up her bowl and chopsticks, catching several of the fried noodles up to put into her bowl.   
  
"Yahiko and Sano are missing out." Aha, now a compliment from her. Too distracted with how wonderful the food looked to notice the temperature. Kenshin just smiled faintly, filling his own bowl quietly as he looked up. "Well .. I .." setting his bowl down, he paused, his sword at an awkward angle at the floor. He reached back to adjust it, but ended up staring wide eyed at Kaoru.  
  
The martial arts teacher had a noodle wrapped steaming around her chopsticks, held up in the air in front of her face. She was so focused on it, lips lightly pursed with her eyes lidded. A rare look from Kaoru, and one that tripped up the wandering samurai every time. "Ah ..!" he had let go of his sword too soon, and it fell from his hands, the sheath crashing into the edge of the low table, causing the bowls to hop slightly.  
  
She gasped in shock, fumbling with her chopsticks as she rocked backwards to avoid any splash of the green tea. At the shake of her hands, the noodle went flying from her utensil to her chest, the hot udon hitting her just below the collarbone and promptly slide-falling into the gap between her chest-wraps and breasts. "Ahiee, HOT!" she squealed, dropping her chopsticks.  
  
Kenshin jumped into action without thinking, eyes narrowing as he lunged forward, planted a hand between the bowls on the table and leaned over, his hand darting down behind the white wraps on her chest, seizing the slippery noodle between his fingertips.  
  
" .. ah."  
  
Kaoru wasn't even looking at him, all she saw was a flash of red hair and then the warmth of a hand against skin between her breasts. " ….. " Stunned, she froze up, snapping Kenshin back into reality as he jerked his head up, staring at her. His fingers were tucked between two very warm breasts, now slightly slippery with the grease of the udon. "Oro!" his voice almost cracked as he threw himself backward towards his side of the table, the noodle still in hand, falling awkwardly onto his bottom.   
  
"Gomen--!!!!" was what he tried to start, but when he looked up the noodle was dropped in fear. Sanosuke's bowl was heading his direction, "Kaoru-dono!" he exclaimed, throwing his hand up, the wooden bowl smashing into his palm as he scrambled back on his bottom.  
  
Standing now, Kaoru's eyes were huge - cheeks furiously pink as her arms waved about. Kenshin did honestly try to get what she was telling him, but her mouth was moving too fast and the fact she had Yahiko's bowl now in hand was a bit threatening.   
  
'Oh .. oh .. Kenshin had his hand down my .. the .. the…. ' her mind was desperately trying to find some awful name to call him, but her heart was beating so hard she couldn't even hear herself think, words just came. The image of his shocked face still in her mind, she knelt down, scooped some more noodles into her bowl and stomped off with a huff, retreating to her room with her chopsticks and a doom cloud.  
  
She did really hear all the apologies shouted after her.. she just tried to ignore them, tucking away in her room to sulk. No, sulk is the wrong word .. to try and get all of the feelings, emotions in her head properly sorted out. .. He /was/ trying to save me from the noodle.. but.. I could've taken care of that! Those cheeks were still pink as she stuffed the noodles into her mouth, eating furiously. Not realizing that it wasn't angry grumbles trying to slip past her lips, but wild giggles. Finally, that little image of his wide eyed, 'Oh no!' expression got to her. Eating and giggling, she didn't even hear Sano and Yahiko return, nor notice the swiftness in which her anger passed.  
  
Yahiko thought the house was awfully quiet for around dinnertime, not hearing the usual chatter from Kenshin and Kaoru. He did though, hear the rumbling of Sano's stomach. "It's not my fault we forgot money to eat." The boy snapped, lead on by his noise towards the table.  
  
Sano scratched at the back of his neck, noting the same things that Yahiko did, but he ignored the silence and preyed on the smell of food. "Alright, We didn't miss dinner!" The lanky man jumped before Yahiko, using the kid's head as a balance as he trotted into the room with Kenshin and the food. "Hey, we're he--.."  
  
The two of them were struck into that same silence as they entered, staring at Kenshin. The rurouni was sitting with his legs folded and empty bowl upturned in his lap with a single udon noodle lying on the floor in front of him. He was staring at it pensively. Oh so pensively, shaking his injured hand slowly.   
  
And somewhere in the house, heard only because of the intense quietness of the rest of the area .. Kaoru's little giggles were heard in between bites of food.  
  
  
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Great Rurouni Kenshin fan comic by reverseblade, Battousai High. http://www.reverseblade.com Wonderfully illustrated and written! A definite must for any Kenshin fan. 


End file.
